2002 BMW 325 problems & reliability
26 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 BMW 325, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 6 | 23% |
| Electrical System | 6 | 23% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 3 | 12% |
| Visibility | 3 | 12% |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 8% |
| Steering | 2 | 8% |
| Tires | 2 | 8% |
| Engine | 1 | 4% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 4% |
| Equipment | 1 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 13 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Takata recall. We are under recall 17v047. For four months, we have been calling and doing on-line chats with bmw of mobile (mobile, alabama). Every call or chat ends with them asking for our phone number and email address. They say they will contact us shortly with info on when or if the recall can be done. They have…”
Air Bags · filed May 19, 2017
“Can not unlock car in any way. The relays in the gm5 module which give power to the actuators become weak and can not open car. Car can not be opened with car key as key hole is also electronic. In the end I cant get inside the car.”
Electrical System · filed Apr 30, 2017
“While vehicle was in motion on a straight highway, the passenger in the right rear seat leaned forward, extending the shoulder seat belt from its retractor. The right rear seat belt failed to retract when the passenger sat upright and will not retract now that the vehicle is parked on level ground.”
Seat Belts · filed Feb 1, 2016
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Rear Lamp Illumination
Engineering Analysis EA09019 · opened Dec 18, 2009 · closed Sep 28, 2011 · led to recall 11V438000
- REAR LAMP ILLUMINATION
Preliminary Evaluation PE09036 · opened Aug 7, 2009 · closed Dec 22, 2009 · led to recall 11V438000
- REAR LAMP ILLUMINATION
Defect Petition DP09002 · opened Apr 8, 2009 · closed Aug 6, 2009
Technical service bulletins
4 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2002 BMW 325.
The basic conditions for initializing the power windows are not met.
B510819 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 16, 2024
Bmw: procedure for determining and replacing incandescent and halogen light bulbs under warranty. *rm
SIB-63-02-01 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2010
Bmw: a new technical process has been created for bmw to identify causes of steering complaints with a wide range of models. *rm
SIB-32-04-07 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 2010
Bmw vehicles: fuel level sensor repairs. Where it is necessary to replace the right or the left side fuel level sensor due to a failure, the entire pump and housing or delivery unit (suction jet assembly) do not need to…
SIB-16-02-09 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 1, 2009
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2002 BMW 325 has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2002 BMW 325?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.